I've written before, in comments, about the need to change the media ownership rules in this country. This is my first diary entry.
In the Main Stream Media, "reporters" have become typists, "journalists" have become pundits, "pundits" have become propagandists. Television evening news programs provide virtually no information about things that might impact our everyday lives, but instead give us the most gruesome traffic accident, the most tragic house fire, the interview with the family member asking the important question: "How do you feel about your relative being brutally murdered?"
So now what?
A True, Truthful Alternative to Main Stream Media
Trying to win the hearts and minds of our countrymen will never be anything but marginally successful with the current state of the media in this country. It's no longer a sign of paranoia to assert that a few rich and powerful people control what news most people see, hear, and read in this country; it's a fact.
Would it be possible Progressives to take control of a large enough share of the radio, television, and print news media to compete successfully? No.
What's the answer? George W. Bush said it himself: The Internets.
Here's the way I've been finding out what's going on in this country and the world every day for the past two years:
Logon > Bookmarks > DailyKos > Atrios > Talking Points Memo > Hullabaloo > Pandagon > Orcinus > BuzzFlash > Liberal Oasis > MediaMatters > The Memory Hole > Take Back the Media > etc. > etc. > etc.> ...
I work with young, well educated, computer savvy people. They read newspapers, they listen to the news, and they try to stay aware of the world around them. Yet even on the internet, they are looking at CNN.com, MSN.com, and FoxNews.com. As we progressed towards war in Iraq and beyond, I seemed to be aware of breaking stories and scandals well before my colleagues. Six months ago, my office mate asked me "what's a Blog?", so I turned her on to a lot of these sites.
But there's the problem. Surfing through 10 internet blogs for the most up-to-date REAL news is something most Americans are not going to do. We like convenience, one-stop shopping, give it to me fast I'm in a hurry.
So let's provide just that. A REAL NEWS website: A news cooperative, funded by a combination of advertising and donations, fed by the 10 or 15 biggest Progressive political blogs and their thousands of volunteer "stringers". A.P. and Reuters feeds, but accompanied by informed analysis, fact checking, and integration into the bigger picture. Streaming video and audio. Humor. Music downloads by popular artists. Searchable databases for research. A place to go when you want a quick rundown on what's going on in your government. A great site to use as your browser's homepage, personalized for your region of the country.
Why not? The truth, framed properly, will always trump lies and dishonesty.
How 'bout we put together a new website with good "frames"?